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Summer Fair? Summer Fare!

The entire point of making these dishes is to have fun.

Published August 17, 2026

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“Potatoes-On-a-Stick” with Bravas Sauce and Manchego. All photos: Sam Muller

Anyone who knows me understands that I love a summer fair (and, of course, the kind of fare that you’re likely to find at one). Whether it’s taking place on a small strip of a street or at some big venue, I want to be there, dodging bees and trying to keep handheld food items from spilling onto the ground. 

Growing up around the Greater Toronto Area, I obsessed over the Canadian National Exhibition every summer—it’s where I tried funnel cake for the first time, and it’s where I had my last one, too. Every August when I lived in Montreal, friends and I would walk up and down St. Laurent Boulevard during ItalfestMTL, eating free samples of pizza, sipping on spritzes, and taking photos of the city’s most extravagant Italian cars. Some of my favorite memories from when I first moved to Los Angeles bring me back to the Avenue 26 Night Market, where I ate $1.50 street tacos on the hood of my husband’s car—sweaty, salsa-stained, and so very satisfied.

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